Originally Posted by SpfldMile:
Blah, blah we couldn't find a good date, blah blah blah blah blah. I don't buy the argument at all. I've worked at the firehouse in the fairground on two separate years, I have a pretty good handle on what goes on there. Yes, there are standardbreds that work out the mile track daily. Because of the sad state of horse racing in IL, there are a lot fewer horses on the grounds than there used to be. There is also a half mile practice track behind the back stretch that is used daily. It would be no problem for the horses to use that track for a day or two. My guess is that there weren't enough advanced tickets sold (no surprise since there is zero advertising), and they didn't want to risk a low gate.
If you worked at the fairgrounds, you'd know how much those horses PAY to workout and train there and that pales in comparison to what Sargent pays and brings in to the fairgrounds. It's a no-brainer for the fairgrounds: screw up the track for the horses, lose hundreds of thousands and schedule a car race or cancel it and leave everything as is to keep the horses happy?
FWIW, I heard a rumor there was a whopping two dates the fairgrounds was willing to give them and both were USAC conflicts. You guys really need to learn to point your venom at the people really responsible for these cancellations: the fairgrounds. Concerts and horse races are much bigger money makers and that's what matters these days.